Gird Your Loins For The Journey Ahead, by Pastor Samuel Obafaiye
Embarking on a journey may appear to be easy, but it’s not. Usually, it involves psychological preparation before the journey itself. There is lots of brainstorming, calculations and considerations that one would need to process in their minds before the journey. So that if one is not well prepared psychologically, the impact of the journey may overshadow or outweigh its importance. So that for example, if your flight is delayed or cancelled, you might blame yourself and not see any reason for the journey any longer.
I foresee that the journey of 2017 will be a very peculiar and distinct one in many ways. On the global level, it will be a weird and queer year. As God’s children, His goodness and mercy shall follow us, however God wants us to be prepared for the journey.
Having said that, it is not our preparedness that will really make us to be victorious, it will still be the power and the might of God. Only that when we are prepared, our spiritual antenna will be in tune with the Holy Spirit and our mind will be receptive to heavenly communications, which will eventually make our journey through the year to be very easy.
The term ‘gird your loins’ in biblical times is not strange. It is for them to be ready to run, to perform a task or engage in a fight. The word that God is giving us collectively this morning is to gird our loins. This year, there are races to run, several tasks to be performed and many combats to fight. The power of God will grant us victory in all of them in Jesus name.
In I Kings 18:45-46, Elijah and Ahab were running because a peculiar rain was about to fall. Which could not only drenched them, but could cut them off the city for a while. Along the route from Mt Carmel to Jezreel, there is a portion that even chariots couldn’t pass when it’s flooded.
What did Elijah do? When the hands of God came down upon him, he girded his loins and began to run. It was then that God made him to outrun Ahab.
– In this year 2017 the hand of God will propel you forward.
– In this year 2017, no strange rain will beat you nor drench you.
– In this year 2017, the erosions of life will not cut you off from what belong to you.
– In this year 2017, you will outrun and overtake those who are challenging your position.
– In this year 2017, only the showers of blessings will fall on you. God will bless you beyond His mercy drops.
In Judges 7: 1-25, the bible says the hosts of Midian, Amalekites and other people from the east came to fight the Israelites. Gideon took 38,000 people to confront them at the word of God, the battle was however to be by the power of God. Not only was the 38,000 too small to fight against the multitude that was against them, many of God’s people that came to fight were fearful.
It happened that with just 300 men who carried funny objects to war (rams horn, touches, clay jars), Gideon defeated the host that gathered against them, because God’s hand was upon him and the 300 prepared for the war.
– In this year 2017, anyone that will make you to become fearful, may God separate them from you right now.
– In this year 2017, may God personally handpick your helpers.
– To someone listening to me, an insignificant number of people have been earmarked by God to help you this year, you will not miss them.
They are only three! Candidate 1, you will not miss….
– To another person, your heart is shaky because of something ahead of you. All you need is for someone to walk with you.
Gideon too needed someone to walk with him to hear the confirmation that victory was sure. So he walked with his servant Phurah.
Barak had to walk with Deborah to fight the Ammonites, even though God already informed him that victory was sure.
May God send you a Phurah or a Deborah that will walk with you to hear and see your victory. You will not walk alone.
– In this year 2017, the unseen sword of God will bring an end to all your enemies in Jesus name. (The sword of God and that of Gideon, when they blew their rams horn)
– In this year 2017, may God use something unthought-of of to grant you huge victory.
– In the year 2017, any gathering against you shall cry and flee. As they flee, they will eliminate themselves until they are no more in Jesus name.
In I Sam 17:1-50, we have popular story of David and Goliath. The Philistines and Israelites were at war. Instead of everybody on this side to fight everybody on that side, Goliath said he only wanted a 1-aside war. Whoever won, their country will be the champion.
For forty days, Goliath taunted, cursed and mocked the Israelites, yet no one was bold enough to confront him. The people were sore afraid. Whenever Goliath stood up, the Israelites would run backwards.
David by Divine arrangement was sent to the battlefield by his father, and the hand of God upon his life moved him to volunteer to fight against Goliath. It is interesting to note that David was fully prepared for the battle, even though he already said that God will be the One to grant him victory. Why did I say so?
– David did not agree to wear any heavy metals that would weigh him down and not be able to run against his enemy as he needed high speed to propel the stone to go far and very fast.
– David carefully selected smooth stones and not just the first ones he saw, because smooth stones travel in a straight course but angular stones travel in a distorted trajectory.
– David also chose 5 of those smooth stones, because he knew that the distance he would leave in between himself and Goliath will offered him the opportunity to have 5 shots before he could throw his javelin.
As David demonstrated that he was prepared for the assignment, God backed him up. It was the first stone that hit Goliath, the stone did not only hit him, but sank into his skull, so that instead of him to be thrown backward because of the impact, he actually absorbed the hit so that he fell on his face and died instantly.
– In this year 2017, any power that wants to mock you will be mocked by God. David didn’t have to climb Goliath’s body to cut off his head, it was to mock him and the Philistines who had put their trust in him. You will not be mocked this year.
– You are here; someone has declared a one man war with you. The person actually said “me and you, we shall see”. God says, I will show them that you are not alone. Don’t be afraid – as fear has torment.
– In the name of Jesus, whatever might be a Goliath to you now, may it not only fall, but eliminated completely in Jesus name.
– In this year 2017, may every of your efforts be crowned with supernatural success in Jesus name.
– In this year 2017, things that people have thought it’s not doable, may God use you to accomplish it in an unbelievable way.
– There is someone listening to me, what your superiors could not attempt, God will help you to do it successfully in this year.
In Judges 11:1-33, the example of Jephtar comes to mind. God used him to defeat the children of Ammon when they gathered against Israel. Certainly, it was the hand of God upon Jephtar’s life that gave him victory, but he was a prepared warrior and a seasoned fighter. God then elevated him as a judge in Israel for twenty years.
– There is someone here; people that have disengaged from you will come to beg you for your fellowship.
– To another person, something will happen in the community you belong to in this year that will shoot you to stardom.
– You have been a leader of an underdog team; God will make you a leader of a winning team.
Prayers
Father, help me to prepare adequately for this year.
Father, let Your hands be upon me for supernatural exploits this year.
Father, let the year 2017 dwarfed all my achievements so far. Nothing compared to that of this year.
The sermon, Gird Your Loins For The Journey Ahead, by Pastor Samuel Obafaiye, was delivered o January 1, 2017.